


Cat and Mouse

by mspotterlovegood



Series: Lunarry drabbles, one-shots and prompts [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, One-Shot, Patronus, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 23:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3915205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mspotterlovegood/pseuds/mspotterlovegood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Harry's Patronus has ~*~magically changed~*~ and Luna knows why. No, it isn't a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but it really should be. Tumblr prompt.</p><p>This fic is 95% Lunarry goodness and 5% poking fun at Ronald Weasley, because he is an adorable freckled sunflower.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat and Mouse

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous Lunarry tumblr prompt: "Hermione cringed as she caught herself crinkling her brows at Harry's bewildering lack of discomfort and confusion. Ron nudged her a bit, silently screeching that he was equally (certainly more) puzzled by Harry's comfort in the situation. Luna smiled, wondering briefly of the implications of Harry's magic. She came to her own satisfied conclusion a mere moment later. Harry looked to his changed Patronus, and then back to Luna, as if he also knew she had her hand in the change."
> 
> Okay, but seriously, how cool is this prompt? Like. I would be lying if I didn't consider doing the Crumple-Horned Snorkack as a patronus. Straight up. But I didn't, and I think the end result was fun. My only regret? No Neville. There should have definitely been Neville. Oh well.
> 
> This is an unedited version, btw. Maybe one day I'll go over it and fix everything (says the greatest procrastinator of all time). Hope you like it! Leave a kudos, review, whatnot, if you did. (:

Harry Potter wasn’t certain when the change occurred — all he knew was one day at the Burrow, Ron, Hermione, Luna and him were all challenging each other on how well they had mastered their patronus spell since their Hogwart years, and when it was Harry’s turn, well… It just… happened.

Ron couldn’t tear his eyes away from  _it_ , his mouth agape, while Hermione had a look of pure bewilderment on her face, eyebrow furred. Neither of them said a word. Harry and Luna on the other hand, seemed completely unperturbed. Actually, Harry couldn’t stop laughing at  _it_ , while Luna simply carried a knowing smile on her face.

What was once a strong, steady stag that flowed lucidly from the tip of his wand was now a tiny baby kitten, who pranced around the ground playfully before yawning and curling up into a ball next to Harry’s feet. It had been completely unexpected, for everyone knew Harry’s patronus was a stag, taking after his father. Even Harry couldn’t fully explain how it happened, but somehow, he had a very strong feeling it had everything to do with the girl sitting next to him.  
Ron’s lips stretched into a crooked frown.  
“Mate… I don’t mean to be rude, but what the  _BLOODY HELL_ happened to your patronus!? It went from a stag to a… to a cat!” He inquired loudly, earning a harsh nudge from Hermione.  
“Ron!” She scolded. He shot her a glance, and then shot a finger at the kitten snoring away by Harry’s shoes, as though pointing at it would force her to agree with the ridiculousness of the situation.  
“It’s a cat Hermione. A kitten. A feline. That’s not even  _remotely_  threatening!”  
Harry raised an eyebrow at this, and the kitten below glared, obviously insulted, before disappearing in a puff of silver smoke.  
“Have you forgotten the time we forgot twice to bring in our Transfiguration papers to Professor Mcgonagall?” Harry said, shuddering at the mere memory. “No offense, Ron, but I’d say that was pretty frightening.”  
“That’s—That’s not even the same thing! McGonagall’s not an actual cat… that’s just her animagus!”  
“Isn’t an animagus suppose to be the animal that best represents the individual?” replied Harry, unable to hide the cockiness in his tone as he gave his friend a smile.  
“That is true, Ron,” Hermione said softly as she kept her eyes on Harry’s patronus, observing it.  
“That’s not the point, Hermione,” said Ron, ignoring their responses. “Harry’s patronus changed. And he’s sitting over there laughing like he just fell off his rocker right before our eyes!”  
Of course, this caused Harry to start chuckling again, amused by his best friends reaction.   
“Well, patronuses  _can_  change form,” said Hermione slowly. “It’s not very common, but it can happen. Though I’m not sure why. There must be some logical reason for it to turn into a cat, of all animals.” She gave Harry an apologetic look. “I’m not trying to be mean, but a cat doesn’t exactly suit your personality, Harry…It truly does not make any sense to me.”  
“Thank you!” Ron exclaimed with a sigh of relief. “See, Harry? Even ‘mione doesn’t understand, and she’s the smartest witch there is.” Hermione flushed red at his compliment.“Hermione is pretty smart, but she doesn’t know  _everything,_  Ron,” said Harry, not meaning ill towards Hermione, though both her and Ron appeared surprised at these words. Ron stared at him with wide eyes.  
“First your patronus changes, and now you’re saying that Hermione, of all people, wouldn’t be able to figure it out?” He shook his head in disappointment. “War’s changed you, mate.”  
“War hasn’t changed me,” Harry responded, annoyed at those words. “I’m just saying, I’m sure there’s an explanation.”  
“That, or you’re turning into a nutter before our very eyes,” said Ron, stepping away from Harry, who gave him an offended look and opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but was quickly interrupted by the girl sitting next to him.

“‘ _Ignorance is the night of the mind. A night without a moon which to clearly see’,_ ” Luna chimed in, speaking up for the first time during the conversation. All eyes turned to her.  
“What in the bloody hell does that mean?” asked Ron.  
“It’s a quote from Confucius,” said Hermione, smiling brightly. “I didn’t know you knew muggle literature, Luna.”  
Luna tilted her head to the side. “It’s quite relevant, isn’t it? Harry’s just as sane as you or I, Ronald.”  
“That’s debatable,” Ron muttered under his breath, resulting in a harsh elbow to the ribs from Hermione and a dirty look from Harry.  
“Ouch! okay, jeez — sorry,” he said, apologizing to Luna. She smiled.  
“It’s quite alright Ronald. If you all are interested, I do have a theory as to why Harry’s patronus changed…”  
“Go on, then” Harry prompted to her, putting his hand over her two folded ones, showing his support. Luna sent him an appreciative smile and nodded before speaking.  
“Well, Hermione is right. It is very unlikely for a patronus to change. However, it’s not impossible. Patronuses can take the form of another persons Patronus, or one similar to it, if that person holds a strong emotion towards that individual. For example, if I became obsessed with Ronald,” she motioned towards Ron, who had a repulsed look on his face at the thought, “my patronus may take the form of his own, because so much of me is focused on him. The two can become one, in a sense.” She giggled to herself. “Perhaps it would even be ginger, as well.”  
“Wait a minute…” interrupted Ron, his eyes going wide. “So you’re trying to say that Harry has some deep, hidden feeling for McGonagall?”  
At this, Harry picked up a sizable pebble and chucked it at Ron’s head, barely missing him. Hermione rolled her eyes.  
“Of course not, you dunderhead,” she sighed in exasperation. “What Luna’s trying to say makes perfect sense. Don’t you remember Tonks’ patronus? It was a werewolf, because she was in love with Lupin!”  
“But aren’t you two dating?” asked Ron, pointing at Harry and Luna. “Isn’t Luna’s patronus a… frog or something?”  
“It’s a hare,” Harry corrected.  
“Yeah, same thing,” said Ron, “that’s still not a rabbit though. It’s a cat. Not even remotely close.”

“There must be a logical reason,” Hermione mumbled, a concentrated look on her face as she attempted to figure it out.  
“There is no logical reason, ‘mione,” argued Ron.  
“Why do you have to be so thickheaded!?” Hermione shot back.  
“ _Thickheaded_? I’m not thickheaded!”  
“Yes you are! Rude _and_ thickheaded!”  
  
Harry shook his head, turning his attention away from his two friends and towards Luna, who had a mischievous twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face that easily read:  _“I know exactly why it changed, but I’m not saying everything quite yet”_. He bumped into her gently, nudging her with his shoulder.  
“Hey,” he whispered to her while Ron and Hermione bickered amongst themselves. “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”  
She shook her head. “I would never hide something from you that you don’t already know, Harry.”  
Thinking on those words, Harry felt puzzled. If that was the case, then Harry didknow why his patronus changed. Contemplating her words, it took a few minutes before a light went off in his head, and everything clicked into place.

“Luna…” he whispered, the pieces all coming together in his mind. “Wait, guys, it’s Luna. It’s because of Luna.” He repeated, this time louder as to overcome the noise level his two friends were arguing on.  
They both stopped and blinked at him.  
“We already went through that, mate,” Ron said, raising an eyebrow.   
“That’s right. If it was because of Luna, your patronus would be a hare, not a cat,” Hermione agreed.  
“But, maybe it doesn’t always work like that,” Harry said, eyebrows crinkled together in concentration while he explained. “I love Luna, right? I mean, she’s my other half. So it would make sense if my patronus changed to match that. But… here’s the thing, Luna used to tell me all the time how much she wished she was a cat. In fact, she pretty much believes that she  _was_  a cat in a second life or something. So maybe, when I think of her, I don’t think of her as a hare… I think of her as a cat, because that’s how she sees herself.”  
He heard Luna giggle next to him.  
“That’s very good, Harry,” she said in earnest. “I came to that same conclusion. After all, I have always wanted to be a cat. I mean, could you imagine how interesting that would be?”  
Ron stared at the couple wordlessly, the theory going completely over his head. Hermione, however, appeared to understand a lot better, though still seemed unconvinced.  
“If she wants to be a cat so bad, wouldn’t her patronus be a cat instead of a hare?” Hermione inquisited.  
Luna tilted her head to the side and opened her mouth to respond, but Harry got his words in before she could respond.  
“It’s a hare because Luna’s mom always told her she reminded her of a rabbit. She even gave Luna one to take care of shortly before she passed away,” he told the group, gaining a surprised look from everyone — especially Luna, who turned to him with eyes as wide as saucers, mouth slightly parted in wonder.  
“You remembered,” she said softly.  
“Of course I did, Lu,” Harry grinned. “I remember everything you say to me… Well, okay, sometimes. I still don’t get that whole blabbering hamdagger thing—”  
“—Blibbering Humdinger,” she corrected politely.  
“Yeah, that,” he laughed. “I do listen, though. I always listen.”

Luna’s face lit up like the moon, a smile so wide upon her lips that Harry felt butterflies in his stomach. In seconds, she threw her arms around him, embracing him so tightly he could hardly breathe.  
“I love you,” she whispered into his ear.  
“I love you too, but you’re killing me,” he croaked. She squeezed him once more and kissed him on the cheek before retracting back, though she kept her hands on his thigh and did not tear her eyes away from him. Ron tried to look away, obviously uncomfortable with their physical contact. Hermione’s eyes glistened, her hands clasped together, watching the two happily.  
“That’s so sweet, Harry!” she cried, “and it explains everything beautifully! Harry’s patronus isn’t a hare because he doesn’t associate Luna with a hare. He associates her with a cat, because that’s what animal she’d always wanted to be.”   
“Kind of like why my patronus was a stag,” Harry added, “It’s ‘cause of my dad. My dad’s animagi was a stag, and so was his patronus. So it always reminded me of him, you know? It was comforting.”

“Yes, but now that you’ve got Luna, you have a new comfort.  _Oooh,_  this is so romantic!” Hermione exclaimed, wiping the corner of her eye.

Ron rolled his eyes, but couldn’t suppress a slight smile.  
“Even your Patronus is whipped, mate,” he joked. Harry laughed, but Luna shot Ron a harsh look, though Harry still saw a glimmer of playfulness in it. “Why would Harry’s cat be whipped? That’s awful, Ronald!” She scolded.  
Ron’s mouth dropped open, flabbergasted.  
“No, no no, that’s not what I—Hermione, you know what I meant…”  
Hermione, playing along, moved away from him, and put on a mock scowl.  
“You’re horrible, Ron.”  
“Yeah, Ron, seriously,” Harry piped in. “Why would you even say that?”  
“W-what!?” Ron stammered, “I didn’t. Mate—I was just… Hermi _oneeee!_ ”  
After that, the three busted out into laughter, leaving a very red-faced Ron looking extremely confused and upset.

Later that night, when Harry and Luna said goodbye to Ron and Hermione and began to walk back to their home hand-in-hand, Luna brought up the topic again.  
“Do you think my patronus will change, too?”  
Harry shrugged. “Maybe… though I don’t know of any animal that really represents me.”  
Luna hummed to herself, dreamily staring up at the sky.   
“I think you’d make a very good crab,” she said lightly, beaming at him.  
“A crab?” answered Harry, raising an eyebrow. “Why a crab?”  
“Well you’re very—” she giggled, “—crabby in the morning…”  
He gave her a mock offended scowl. “Me?! Crabby!?”  
“Oh yes, Harry Potter. Your very crabby in the morning. You even walk like one…” She let go of his hand, and began to attempt what Harry assumed was a crab walk, but appeared more like a drunken man stumbling from side to side. He started laughing uncontrollably at the sight.  
“Lu, that’s not—-how a crab walks,” he said inbetween his howls, tears in his eyes. She spun around gracefully, tilting her head to the side.  
“You’re right. You’re far more similar to a Slobby-obb Erkworm,” she said, confidently.  
“Do I even want to know what that is?”  
“Or a Streeler!”  
“What in Merlin’s name is a Streeler?”  
“A snail,” she said, giggling. Harry crossed his arms.  
“Really? The youngest seeker in the history of Hogwarts, and I’m a snail?”   
This time, she could no longer conceal a secretive grin.  
“Well, Harry Potter, if you are so quick, then I suppose you’ll have to prove it to me.”  
He smirked. “And how am I going to go about doing that?”  
“Simple,” she said lightly, taking out her wand from behind her ear.  
“Cats are very quick, you know. No match for a snail. So… you’ll just have to catch me.”  
“And what do I get if I catch you?” He asked playfully.  
“I suppose you will just have to find out, won’t you?” She said. With a wink and a loud crack, Luna suddenly disappeared, apparating away.

Harry shook his head, chuckling to himself. She really was a cat, wasn’t she?  
“You’re on, Lovegood."


End file.
